Thanks for posting this item. I just received a notice on this from
the Roleigh Martin listserv. My comment was, isn't it amazing, and
dreadful, that the "authorities" have waited so long to start
alerting the public and business to this critical issue? Of course,
there is probably some basic error in this that one of our Polly
posters will be quick to point out and defuse. :-(

Lane thanks, another eye opener as if we needed one more this week. Be sure to read the linked letter and the March 15, 1999 report. Here is a snip from the report:

"The following findings were presented in the CSB report:

Large chemical companies with sufficient awareness, leadership, planning and resources to address the Y2K problem are unlikely to experience catastrophic failures - unless there are widespread power failures.

There is a lack of information about small and medium-sized chemical businesses, but readiness efforts appear to be "less than appropriate."

Current federal safety rules provide valuable guidance for risk management, but no specific Y2K guidelines for the chemical industry have been provided by the federal agencies, and there are no plans to do so. "

Thanks, Lane. Early last year when I was worrying about electricity and all the government agencies, a consultant friend in London replied to me about his top concern: chemical and hazardous materials manufacturers. I'll be sending this info along to him. He won't be surprised, but he might feel a mite better that at least there's some awareness of the threat.

Washington, D.C. -- July 22, 1999 - The Nation's governors have been
urged to review and act on Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recommendations
designed to avert or minimize the effects of Year 2000 technology
problems which may affect industrial chemical safety.

This week the CSB distributed a letter urging action on Y2K chemical
safety issues to all 50 state governors and chief executives of the
Northern Mariana Islands, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico,
and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Accompanying the letter was a copy of the
CSB's report to the U.S. Senate Year 2000 Issues: Technology Problems
and Industrial Safety (CSB Y2K Report).

The letter notes that government surveillance of industry sectors that
handle high hazard chemicals is insufficient to draw detailed
conclusions regarding Y2K compliance. Generally, the CSB has found
that larger organizations appear to be more active in preparing for
Y2K problems than small- and medium-size enterprises (SME), although
conclusions about SMEs are based on incomplete information.

SMEs are more likely to be at risk because many have lesser awareness
of chemical safety in general and the Y2K impact in particular, and
they may lack financial resources and technical know-how for fixing
the problems.

Given the approach of Year 2000-related deadlines, the letter notes
"addressing this situation requires a massive effort" that should
focus on the following key tasks:

The letter says that "while federal agencies are aware of and involved
in Year 2000 technology and chemical safety issues, significant gaps
in surveillance, independent verification, and compliance assistance
exist. The largest responsibility for public health and safety will
reside at the state and local level, particularly involving the
emergency response community."

As an example of state Y2K actions which others might emulate, Poje
points to the State of California, where Governor Gray Davis has
issued an Executive Order on Y2K and directed state agencies to
prevent accidental releases of hazardous materials. State and local
agencies there are assessing the Y2K readiness of their 110,000
hazardous material handlers and assisting them in preventing
accidental releases. Each year California experiences some 5,000
hazardous materials incidents but has only 62 highly specialized
hazardous materials response teams.

Poje asks the governors to share the report and its recommendations
with relevant state and local agencies.

The Chemical Safety Board is an independent federal agency with the
mission of ensuring the safety of workers and the public by preventing
or minimizing the effects of industrial and commercial chemical
incidents. Congress modeled it after the National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates aircraft and other
transportation accidents for the purpose of improving safety.

Like the NTSB, the CSB is a scientific investigatory organization. The
CSB is responsible for finding ways to prevent or minimize the effects
of chemical accidents at industrial facilities and in transport. The
CSB is not an enforcement or regulatory body, but can make
recommendations, aimed at preventing future accidents, to the
Congress, industry, federal, state or local agencies, trade
associations or others.

On behalf of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board I
urge you to review and act upon the enclosed report and
recommendations on The Year 2000 Issues: Technology Problems
and Industrial Chemical Safety.

The Year 2000 (Y2K) Problem is an unprecedented problem having the
potential for causing disruption of normal operations and maintenance
at the nation's chemical and petroleum handling facilities. The
potential for Y2K-related catastrophic events can be divided into
three categories: failures in software or embedded microchips within
the process plants, external Y2K-related problems (e.g., power outages
and other utility failures), and multiple Y2K-related incidents that
may strain emergency response organizations.

Government surveillance of the sectors that handle high hazard
chemicals is insufficient to draw detailed conclusions regarding Y2K
compliance. Large enterprises with sufficient awareness, leadership,
planning, and financial and human resources are unlikely to fail
unless their current progress is interrupted or there are failures of
utilities and other sectors. Yet even at larger facilities, outcomes
from multiple concurrent, sequential or cascading failures, e.g.,
multiple control system failures, multiple utility failures, or a
combination of multiple utility and control system failures are
uncertain. Small and mid-sized enterprises are more likely to be at
risk because many have lesser awareness of chemical safety in general
and the Y2K impact in particular, and they may lack financial
resources and technical know-how for fixing the problems.

Given the deadlines, addressing this situation requires a massive
effort that should focus on the following key tasks:

While Federal agencies are aware of and involved in Year 2000
technology and chemical safety issues, significant gaps in
surveillance, independent verification and compliance assistance
exist. The largest responsibility for public health and safety will
reside at the state and local level, particularly involving the
emergency response community.

State and local preventative actions are needed. For example, the
State of California which annually experiences 5000 hazardous material
incidents has only 62 highly specialized hazmat teams to respond.
Additional hazmat incidents because of Y2K failures would threaten the
capacity to respond and thereby endanger public health and the
environment. Consequently, California's Governor has issued an
Executive Order on Y2K and directed state agencies to prevent
accidental releases of hazardous material. State and local agencies
are assessing the Y2K readiness of their 110,000 hazardous material
handlers and assisting them in preventing accidental releases.

Please share the report and recommendations with relevant state and
local agencies. The report and additional information, including a
Y2K safety guidance document addressed to small and medium-sized
enterprises, are available at the Chemical Safety Board's website:
http://www.csb.gov/y2k/. If I can be of further assistance in
preventing accidents from Year 2000 technology problems, please
contact me at 202-261-7600.